A thief made off with a gold necklace after tussling with the owner of a downtown Nanaimo jewelry store Tuesday.
The incident happened shortly after 5 p.m. when a man stole a 10-karat gold necklace from a display cabinet in Cross and McDougall Jewellers at 189 Commercial St.
Police said the suspect was in the store earlier that afternoon looking at various jewelry items for his partner. He left the store, but returned about 20 minutes later.
While the store's owner was busy with another customer, the suspect cut the lock off the display cabinet.
The owner confronted the suspect when he heard the cabinet opened and a struggle broke out.
The suspect made off with the necklace and was last seen running west on Bastion Street.
Police said the store owner was not injured in the altercation.
The suspect is described as Caucasian, 5' 11" with a slim to medium build and short, dark hair. He was wearing a blue hoodie over a grey hoodie, dark pants and was carrying a dark backpack.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.